Madeleine McCann Linked To Claudia Lawrence Case

MADELEINE McCann Watch: Anorak’s at-a-glance look at Madeleine McCann in the news: Because all missing persons must be put in the context of Madeleine McCann, that benchmark for the vanished, the mother of missing Malton chef Claudia Lawrence is ready to talk to the McCanns.

Frustrated by the lack of progress in the police investigation, Joan Lawrence said she was thinking of going on the speaking circuit to spread the word about Claudia’s mysterious disappearance.

Why not? Her announcement of a possible plan is already keeping his daughter in the spotlight.

Joan said she also had plans to contact the family of Madeleine McCann “just to talk and share experiences”.

And there it is. The McCanns have become the media face of the missing, a shortcut to promoting your own cause. Context is given. Everyone’s at it, even the Archbishop of York prates with Google keywords in mind to hightlight his own vested interest, in this case Easter:

“In both Claudia and Madeleine’s cases, someone knows where they are,” Archbishop Sentamu told the News of the World.

Who would not solicit the McCanns’ advice and patronage, which can result in an impact on the web (see here) where Our Maddie is still a big story?

Claudia Lawrence was 35 when she went missing. Madeleine McCann was four. The cases are similar in two ways: Both Madeleine McCann and Claudia Lawrence are missing; the media glare has not led to either being found.

She said she had rejected interview requests from the national media because she was disgusted with the way Claudia’s private life had been portrayed, with lurid allegations about relationships with married men.

“It’s time to stand up for Claudia,” she said. “Anyone who really knows her knows that 90 per cent of it isn’t true.”

In both cases media involvement has not resulted in either missing person being found. In the end, the media just exploits them.